


A series of bad pick up lines

by Tinglecannon



Series: Just a bunch of Fair Game fics: because they deserved better [6]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Bad Flirting, Bad Puns, Clover "What are sleeves" Ebi, Clover Ebi Deserved Better, Dialogue Heavy, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, First Dates, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, I'm gonna be honest idk how much of this is flirting anymore and not just these two being stupid, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Married Life, Mutual Pining, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Qrow Branwen Has Self-Esteem Issues, Qrow Branwen is a brat, Sexual Tension, Sickfic, Sometimes flirting is romantic and sweet and sometimes it's just shameless, Swearing, The kids are simultaneously amazing wingmans and the worst teasers ever, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vague references to sexual content, each ch is a oneshot that could all go together but are written in no particular order, i'll add more tags as I write more chapters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23389825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinglecannon/pseuds/Tinglecannon
Summary: On the way to Mantle when the Manta was attacked by Teyrxs and everyone had to evacuate, Clover and Qrow were the last to jump.Clover decides to ask Qrow a simple, totally innocuous question.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Just a bunch of Fair Game fics: because they deserved better [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1646842
Comments: 124
Kudos: 226





	1. Kiss for good luck?

**Author's Note:**

> So I made this [post](https://drbtinglecannon.tumblr.com/post/613984512472481792/yes-more-good-another-one-i-thought-of-that) on Tumblr, some more people posted more suggestions, I wrote a [ficlet](https://tinglecannon.tumblr.com/post/613976101045272576/ok-so-i-made-this-post-on-my-main-blog-and), and now here I am. Planning a series of ficlets based on flirty lines revolving around luck, and gonna try alternating each chapter on who's POV I'm writing.  
> (Summary will change as I post more chapters)
> 
> First up: Clover, "Kiss for good luck"

"Hey!" Clover called out, pitching his voice louder to be heard over the transport's wheezing engine and the roar of wind rushing past.

Qrow tensed, then turned away from the open door on the other side of the empty transport and towards Clover. When those stunning vermilion eyes locked with his own, he had to swallow a sudden flurry of butterflies creeping up his stomach. Even with the furrowed brows and pensive look, Qrow looked beautiful. 

He always looked beautiful.

Clover smirked, hoping he appeared playful and _not_ nervous, and laughed, "How about a kiss for good luck?"

It was just a little joke to lighten the mood.

Kind of.

Ok, it _may_ have held _some_ kernel of true desire nestled deep inside, all wrapped up in a plush blanket of a teasing lilt to his voice to disguise it as merely a joke. Clover knew the situation was dire, so he wanted to be a little more bold in his flirting with a certain Huntsmen while he still had the chance.

Who could blame him?

Qrow looked a little taken aback, serious face gone as his brows twitched upwards and his mouth parted ever so slightly. Clover didn't expect much, certainly not an _actual_ kiss, and already decided if Qrow wasn't going to do anything he would simply blow the other man one before jumping down into the fray. Play it off like that was the plan all along. 

Being captain gave Clover a great deal of experience in thinking on his feet.

However, what it _didn't_ give him a great deal of experience in was how to handle the seamless way Qrow's expression shifted from shock to something a little more dangerous. One brow arched, piercing red eyes narrowed, and a truly devilish smirk took over his features.

"You sure a kiss from me would be a good idea, shamrock? What if it brings you _bad_ luck?" Qrow asked, or rather shouted, back. 

What really stuck out was how his tone was different, deeper and raspier than usual.

It was a _very_ nice sound.

Clover's breath hitched. He knew his face was probably red, what from the sudden heat on his cheeks even as the cold air whipped against the back of his exposed neck and arms. 

And also from the way Qrow's smirk grew large enough to flash his teeth.

Clover cleared his throat, and retorted, "I'm feeling pretty lucky, I think I'll chance it." Unfortunately the quip wasn't as smooth as he intended, because in raising his voice enough to be heard it cracked. Though it wasn't all bad, it still made Qrow chuckle even as he rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.

In the few seconds that zipped past as the transport fell further through the air, Qrow kept staring at him, his smile a little more reversed now. Clover briefly worried he took this too far; there are only so many luck puns he can make in a row until it gets stale.

Plus, they were on a time crunch here. Now was not the best time to get distracted.

Before he could start to worry more, Qrow pivoted away from the door fully, and in a couple long strides was directly in front of Clover. In one fluid motion he reached a hand up to Clover's left cheek and leaned in to lightly peck the right.

As he pulled away he whispered in his ear, "Good luck, Cloves."

Clover knew his face was bright red but he couldn't stop grinning like an idiot or help the boyish giggle that escaped him even when he bit down on his bottom lip. However, looking at Qrow and seeing the way he was failing to suppress his own smile or how his own cheeks had a pink hue to them, Clover didn't feel all that embarrassed.

Clover threw Qrow one last wink and a lazy salute, then fell backwards off the ship.

Even as the wind roared all around him while he soared through the air down to the raging battle below, he could _swear_ he heard Qrow laugh.


	2. Don't push your luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow's no stranger to flirting, teasing, and sharing heated looks with strangers. It has been a while since he was on the receiving end of such _forward_ advances though, let alone playful banter that kept going after first introductions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being a lot more uh, forward than I intended but it's fine.  
> TW: The beginning has mentions of drinking and alcoholism. Be safe when reading!
> 
> Qrow: Don't push your luck

Qrow's been in a good mood lately.

The lack of alcohol fogging his mind, slurring his movements, and burning his throat definitely helped, even if the shakes and sweats from withdrawal were a fucking _bitch_.

They were worth it though. To have his nieces look at him with respect and admiration again, relief shining in their eyes when they saw him tired and not horribly hungover in the early mornings, no longer crinkling their noses because he reeked of booze. He'd take shakes and sweats for the rest of his life if this was the trade-off.

There was one other thing attributing to his good mood; a certain captain of the Ace Ops, Clover Ebi, with his warm smiles, deep voice, muscular build, and kind words.

Qrow's no stranger to flirting, teasing, and sharing heated looks with strangers. It has been a while since he was on the receiving end of such _forward_ advances though, let alone playful banter that kept going after first introductions. People tended to get tired of Qrow's attitude, or semblance, or every-quality-about-him-overall, and the game would end fairly early on.

But with Clover it kept going. 

Each tease and quip grew bolder and pushed further than the last while never crossing over into inappropriate territory. Clover was an absolute flirt but he was still a gentleman, knowing when to stop without being asked and being considerate of Qrow at every turn. Even when they weren't using lines on each other he was enjoyable to be around, a calming reprieve from traveling with only teenagers for months.

It was all a little overwhelming.

It was _also_ doing wonders for Qrow's self-esteem, which was already on the upswing since he started working on himself. It still had a long way to go though, what with many years of trauma and self-hatred to work through, but he was getting there, little by little.

Sometimes the banter was too much and Qrow would feel panicked and awkward. Thankfully, he didn't have to voice such thoughts because Clover seemed to just be able to tell and would effortlessly shift their conservations back to something more casual.

Other times, Qrow would return everything he got, blow for blow, trying his damnedest to get Clover to look as flustered or jittery on the outside as Qrow felt on the inside.

Then there were the times Qrow felt particularly cheeky and played hard to get.

Now _that_ was fun.

Clover never seemed disheartened when Qrow would pretend to not care either way, which was great because Qrow liked how the man would inch a little closer and linger in his space a little longer, trying to incite _any_ reaction but relaxed indifference. Qrow would do everything in his power to not give in, _relishing_ in the attention but declining to give _any_ back, firmly digging his heels in and refusing to budge.

A nice flirting match with Clover could energize him in the way a satisfying victory against some Grimm would.

Over time he found the easiest way to win these little exchanges was to turn the luck lines against the man. It was cheesy as hell when he used them, what with their semblances, but it was cheesy in a way that made Qrow smile and laugh despite himself, even when he would roll his eyes or scoff.

The two of them were playing cards one evening on a transport run, Clover winning every round as he does, and leaning across the makeshift table between them resting heavily on an elbow. Qrow leaned in close too, leaving about half a foot between them as if they were sharing a secret and had to whisper, but was decidedly _not_ making eye contact, keeping a carefully neutral expression as he looked at his hand.

"You gonna make a move sometime today, Branwen?"

Qrow smirked. Clover only resorted to using his last name when he was being a brat.

"Just thinkin' over my options."

Qrow wasn't really paying attention to the game. He resigned himself to losing every time the moment the deck was taken out. Instead he was taking in the way Clover observed him from the corner of his eye, the man not being subtle as he blatantly watched Qrow.

"You know, if you aren't interested in the game..."

Clover's voice trailed off, waiting until Qrow finally glanced up at him only to find the space between them shrunk. When did he move closer?

Clover's smile was confident and oozing charm as he continued in a low voice, "We could always find something _else_ to pass the time."

It took all of Qrow's willpower not to burst into flames.

_Damn Clover and his stupid, handsome face._

Qrow took a moment to steel himself and sucked in a harsh breath. Then he inclined his face so his mouth was right below Clover's ear, and spoke on the exhale, just to be as much of a bastard as possible.

" _Don't push your luck, Boy Scout,_ " Qrow drawled, savoring the way Clover shuddered slightly until he finally, slowly pulled away in time with laying his hand face up. 

His eyes darted down to the table, and he leaned back fully in surprise. "Oh! Heh, well would you look at that, I actually won."

Clover chuckled as he followed suit, leaning back until his back met one of the stacks of cargo behind him. "Yeah, I guess you did."

Qrow glanced up at him, taking in the small, fond looking smile on his face and _oh_. That was a new look.

The transport rattled as it came to a lazy crawl, eventually grinding to a noisy halt. The driver called out to them that they reached the site, and Qrow watched as Clover got up and unlatched the back doors, swinging them open with a loud creak.

"Time to get to work," He said, voice chipper like nothing just happened.

Qrow wondered if Clover actually won that round as he got up and followed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I can easily do each of these lines in under 1k  
> Me when I first finished this one before editing: I wrote more than 1k I fucked up


	3. Lady Luck is smiling on me...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So what if a bullet grazed his arm? He was fine, the job was done, there was nothing to be concerned about.
> 
> Except for how _absolutely pissed_ Qrow seemed to be over it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok go home me this is the best one none of the others will be this good.
> 
> Clover: Lady Luck is smiling at me, though I like your smile more.

Clover knew the move was risky, he could've gotten shot by one of the smugglers, which could've blown the entire operation (or resulted in him getting hurt or worse).

But he also knew he had the luck and skill to do it.

So what if a bullet grazed his arm? He was fine, the job was done, there was nothing to be concerned about.

Except for how _absolutely_ _pissed_ Qrow seemed to be over it.

"Why would you do something so _stupid_?! You could've gotten yourself _killed_ , you _dumbass_!" Qrow yelled at him as he frantically blotted the blood running down his arm.

Clover racked his brain for the last time he's been called a 'dumbass', and came up short. He had perfect grades all his academy career, excelled at pretty much everything, and was high ranking in a strict military; no one but maybe James himself could talk to him that way, but that also required James to even talk like that to begin with.

"Uh---"

"Save the excuses, I am _not_ interested."

Qrow scowled as he gently cleaned the wound on Clover's arm, taking great care to not agitate it or be too rough. For how biting his words were, his actions betrayed just how worried he actually was. Clover felt a pang of guilt deep in his chest.

He hasn't been on a team in a long while. It was easy to fall into bad habits and take risks when you were by yourself and didn't have to worry about someone else, didn't have to watch someone's back or actually talk plans over before charging in.

No wonder Qrow was so upset. Damn, maybe Clover _was_ a dumbass.

"...I'm sorry, Qrow," he murmured.

Qrow's hands paused for just a second, before resuming their movements. It was another few seconds until he sighed, "I'm sorry, too. Shouldn't have yelled at you."

"No, I deserved it."

A snort. "Yeah. You did."

"You're really good at apologizing, you should run a seminar," Clover quipped, smiling when that drew a full laugh out of the man.

"Anyway," Qrow rolled his eyes, a small smile replacing the deep scowl he wore earlier. "How did you even pull that damn trick off? There were half a dozen guns focused on you."

Clover wasn't entirely sure. 

His semblance was good, but that seemed like even more than luck. He was out in the open, but managed to maneuver Kingfisher around in a full circle, knocking into a crane hook nearby with enough force the crane swung into the rickety, wooden staircase, crashing through it and collapsing half the second floor in some chain reaction. Most of the gunmen fell with all the wooden planks, and from there it was easy to lasso the last two together and chuck them over the edge down onto the concrete ground below with the others.

Clover shrugged, "Lady Luck must be smiling on me today." When he was met with a flat look from Qrow, he couldn't help himself from winking and adding on, "Though I like your smile more."

A beat passed.

Then another.

Then Qrow snorted, and threw his head back with unbridled laughter.

"Ooh, _Brothers_ , shamrock," Qrow wheezed in between bouts of giggles. "Th-that's gotta be your w- _worst_ line yet!"

Clover gasped, wearing his best mock offended face. "What?? That line was _gold!_ "

Qrow furiously shook his head, laughing even harder. His hands slapped over his mouth in an attempt to muffle the noise, though it didn't do much. His eyes shined with mirth and tears collected at the corners, the man laughing so hard he was crying.

Qrow's laugh was music to Clover's ears. Even if it was at his expense.

Clover started to snicker along himself, and reached a hand up to gently tug Qrow's away from his face. "Hey now, I just said I like your smile. Don't go covering it up."

Qrow choked, all noise stopping at once and his eyes were big as saucers. He let his arms go limp in Clover's grasp, hands falling from his face revealing his lips were drawn into a tight line.

The sudden silence weighed uncomfortably on him. 

"Uh, Qrow?" Clover chuckled nervously.

"Hm?"

"Did I, uh, say something wrong?"

"N-no, no, just uh," Qrow's eyes flicked to the side. "Did you _really_ mean that? About my smile, I mean. That wasn't a joke?"

Clover dropped Qrow's hand to gently cup his chin and draw his attention back to him. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it...I wouldn't say any of my lines if I didn't mean them."

Qrow's mouth formed a small 'o', and let out a small noise of understanding.

Clover forced himself not to fidget under the man's gaze, and almost wished he got shot in a more 'will fall unconscious from pain and blood loss' spot instead of sitting here waiting for Qrow to respond.

"I..." Qrow started, pausing to lick his lips. "I think the fact you meant that makes it even worse..."

Clover's heart sank.

"Oh?..."

"Mhm…'cuz that line was _extremely_ dorky." Qrow smirked.

Clover blinked. Qrow had a shit eating grin on his face, and his cheeks and the tips of his ears were reddish. 

He cleared his throat and put on his own best smirk. "Well, lucky for you I have a lot more dorky lines up my metaphorical sleeve."

Qrow started laughing even louder than before, and leaned in to rest his head against Clover's shoulder as his body shook with the force of it.

" _You are such a **dork**_ ," Qrow laughed.

Clover wasn't going to argue, because he got the distinct feeling Qrow liked dorks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen. If someone with luck powers used this line on me, I'd fucking _swoon_ , but I'd also die laughing cuz they'd have to be a huge dork to say something so corny.  
> And anyone who says they don't like dorks are liars don't @ me.


	4. Well isn't that unfortunate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silence. Heavy, unnerving silence followed.
> 
> Qrow felt all nine pairs of eyes on him.
> 
> His skin prickled and the hairs on his neck stood up. He knew what was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest idk how flirty this one is, but I spent three days trying to write _something_ so here we are.  
> This features all the kids cuz I love them and love them teasing these old men and wish Clover got to spend time with them ok. Also this is shamelessly referencing my fgw day 1 fic [And you think I'm a flirt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23171353), you don't have to read this to get this chapter but feel free to!
> 
> Qrow: Well, isn't that unfortunate.

_"What, can't keep up, lucky charm? How unfortunate."_

The words rang in Qrow's head, taunting him even hours later. He couldn't _believe_ he _actually_ did that.

That being not even three hours ago while training with Clover, during one of the numerous times he knocked the man to the ground Qrow decided to step on his chest, push him back down, and say that line to him in the most sultry tone he could.

He groaned loudly as he dropped his head into his hands. His face and neck were on fire, and have been since he got back to his room where he could panic in peace. He had no idea what came over him; sure, it was all in good fun and he was feeling confident at the time, but now that he had time to mull it over, he was _mortified_.

Qrow couldn't get the image of Clover pinned onto the training ground floor staring up at him like a deer in the headlights out of his head.

Or the way Clover blushed.

Qrow groaned again and fell backwards onto the bed. He wasn't sure what this meant going forward. He liked Clover, a lot, and finally worked up the courage to start flirting back with him after weeks of the man throwing winks and charming smiles and corny lines his way. That though...that upped the ante a lot.

Qrow's scroll dinged several times rapid fire, the telltale trait it was one of his nieces. He blindly stretched a hand out and patted around on the mattress until his hand brushed the device, then grabbed it fully and brought it to his face. The screen lit up to reveal a stream of messages from Ruby, starting with a basic greeting, a few lines recapping her last mission with the Ace Ops, and then ending with an invitation to join her and the others for dinner.

Qrow chuckled to himself as his fingers swept across the screen, sending a short reply agreeing and asking for more details in person. He liked hearing about what the kids were up to, sue him.

He laid there a moment longer, willing the last dredges of embarrassment to ebb away before hauling himself up, quickly straightening out his clothes and running a hand absentmindedly through his hair, and walked out the door down towards the canteen. Qrow was equal parts nervous and excited by the prospect of maybe running into Clover again tonight.

He didn't get the chance to think on it for much longer though, because as soon as he approached the cafeteria entrance he heard the kids clear as day. He snorted to himself; they were a rowdy bunch, must be difficult for the stuffy Atlas crowds to handle.

Good.

Qrow had a fond smile on his face, he couldn't make out the specific words being spoken but he knew the distinct cadences of Ruby, Yang, and Nora from anywhere. The moment he turned the corner the smile fell from his face with a sharp inhale.

At a table in the far corner sat all his kids, most of which were animatedly talking and gesturing with their arms, at a politely amused Clover. He stood by the end of their table, a mug in one hand and the other on his hip with a friendly smile on his face, giving the kids his full attention as they rambled over each other. Despite the volume and the...less than stellar manners of some, he seemed genuinely interested in their stories, nodding and even chuckling at certain points.

Shit.

Qrow's mind was flickering back to earlier, and decided no, he wasn't at all excited to run into Clover. Maybe he could still run away ---

"Oh! UNCLE QROW!"

Qrow winced and turned back to see Ruby practically standing on her seat waving him over. The entire table stared over at him expectantly, all conversation abandoned waiting for him to join. Clover barely hid a devilish smirk behind his mug, rising it towards Qrow slightly before taking a sip.

Damn him. _He_ was the one flustered earlier, so why was Qrow the one suffering right now?

Qrow sighed and resigned himself to his fate, crossing the area to their table and stopping next to Clover. There was a discernable shift in the air.

"We were just telling Clover about Ace Op training!" Ruby was bouncing in her seat. "Harriet and I had another race!"

"That so?"

"Yeah, yeah, and I _won_ this time!"

Qrow whistled, leaning over to ruffle her hair. "Damn, kiddo, that's great!"

She giggled as she shooed his hand away.

"Yeah!" Nora interrupted, slamming her hands on the table with so much force Ren had to catch her glass before it could spill. "And Elm was showing me some tricks with Timber!"

That sounded terrifying. "Oh yeah? Learn anything good?"

"Define 'good'," Jaune mumbled with a small frown. Qrow could sympathize. 

In an instant the kids all started rambling again. The sound of Clover chuckling cut through the banter in front of Qrow, easily drawing his attention to the side. When they locked eyes, Qrow had to actively not think about him lying on the training room floor.

"Well, as lovely as this has been, I unfortunately have a meeting to get to," Clover sighed wistfully. "Real shame, I would've loved to stay and have dinner with you all."

Qrow could tell by the glint in the man's eye that he meant 'you' more than he meant 'all'.

Qrow cleared his throat, and somehow tapped into that same shameless energy from earlier as he smirked back. "Well, isn't that unfortunate." 

Clover's eyebrow twitched upwards. Qrow vaguely noticed the chatter in front of them dying out, but was far more drawn to the way Clover tried and failed to suppress a smirk, and took another long sip from his, probably cold by this point, tea. "That it is."

Clover patted Qrow's shoulder, then turned to give the kids a nod. "Well, see you all later."

A small string of goodbyes followed as he walked away, posture tall and perfect. Qrow watched him leave until he was completely out of sight, then watched for a few seconds more.

Silence. Heavy, unnerving silence followed.

Qrow felt all nine pairs of eyes on him.

His skin prickled and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He knew what was coming.

" _OOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!"_ A boisterous chorus of Ruby, Yang, Nora, a half-hearted Blake, and a slightly-confused Penny, all chimed out.

" _HUSH, all of you,_ " Qrow grit out, whipping his head to glare at them. His face was burning again, which he knew undercut the scowl and tone of voice, but that wasn't gonna stop him from _attempting_ to appear intimidating.

At least Jaune and Oscar had the decency to look sheepish. Ren had a sympathetic look on his face as Nora cackled and pointed at Qrow. Weiss was pointedly staring down at her food, feigning having no interest in the matter. Blake's ears twitched and she was biting back a smirk. Penny had an amicable but confused smile on her face, glancing between him and Ruby, who was red-faced with a hand slapped over her mouth.

Yang leaned forward, a shit-eating grin splitting her face, and drawled, "What? We aren't good enough company? Is it cuz we all wear sleeves and don't have shoulders big enough to carry Atlas on?"

A few more laughs sounded at that, and Qrow grumbled. He decided he didn't actually like hearing what his kids got up to, they were all monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me at the beginning: Each of these will be under 1k no problem!  
> Me last chapter before editing: It's 1002 fuck  
> Me this chapter not even done yet: it's over 1k and that's just. How it is I fucking guess.


	5. Must be my lucky day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow might as well have handed Clover the key to his own heart, because he just basically asked for a second date, which could potentially lead to _more_ dates, and Brothers, Clover is smitten with this man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to finish this yesterday but it's 1am now so. Oh well.
> 
> Clover: Must be my lucky day.

There was a spring in Clover's step.

He wasn't one to broadcast personal news or information, however he always kept an amicable, friendly air about him so he would be approachable to his team and any other members of the military or academy. After all, keeping his cards close to his chest didn't mean he had to be an asshole.

The reason for the extra jovial nature of his mood was he had a date that night.

A date with a certain Qrow Branwen.

Clover was a mess of nerves when he asked him the night before, barely masking it behind his usual bravado. Thankfully Qrow was kind enough not to comment, or maybe he was too flustered himself, regardless Clover's been on Cloud Nine since the moment Qrow gave him a soft smile and murmured, "Sure, that sounds nice."

Clover wasn't one to rush tasks or half-ass his job, though he really couldn't bring himself to care about any reports or debriefings or supply runs today, and anxiously waited for his final dismissal of the day. If he tapped a foot or drummed a finger on Kingfisher's handle hanging from his belt too many times over the hours, no one commented.

The two agreed to meet at the academy entrance at 1800 hours, which he showed up fifteen minutes early for, brimming with excitement.

Clover felt he had a good idea of the types of things Qrow would or wouldn't be interested in, and anything too fancy or too 'quintessential Atlas' were firmly in the 'not interested' camp. Thus, they agreed to a casual dining establishment down in Mantle Clover's been to a handful of times followed by a small excursion to a nice trail spot he likes to go to on days off when he wants to clear his head.

Clover looked up from his scroll just as Qrow turned the corner, a nervous energy buzzing off of him with shoulders hunched and his face a little flushed. His outfit wasn't much different than usual, except he had a black, thick wool peacoat on with his trademark cape attached to the back. The man was dressed far warmer than Clover was, what with his dark green vest over a thermal tanktop, dark pants, and signature combat boots, though that was expected. Clover was used to the cold.

"You really don't own clothes with sleeves, do you?" Qrow chuckled when he approached.

Clover shrugged, "Are you really complaining?" And relished in the way Qrow sputtered at that.

Normally Clover would draw the teasing and banter out, but they had places to be. He offered his arm to Qrow and tried not to act too giddy when the man shyly accepted.

\---

It was definitely the most eventful date Clover ever went on.

Qrow's nerves seemed to amplify his semblance, because at the diner his chair leg broke the moment Clover pulled it out for him, two full glasses of soda spilled, and the poor waitress tripped no less than three times and ended up dropping one of their plates of food.

Then after Clover paid their tab and left a _very_ generous tip, on the way up the moderately rocky trail to the nice plateau Qrow tripped and scuffed up his palm on a rock, a fresh dusting of snow on a nearby tree dumped on both their heads and down their collars, and Clover somehow lost the middle button on his vest.

But Clover couldn't even pretend to be bothered by any of that.

At the diner, the broken chair led them being seated at a booth instead, so their legs brushed against each other the entire time as they leaned across the small table to eat. Qrow was laughing and giggling freely as the two shared stories, he shamelessly plucked fry after fry off Clover's plate after he finished all of his own, and it was _adorable_ the way he would hunch down and lean over to drink his soda with a straw.

On the walk up the trail, after Qrow's stumble Clover grasped his uninjured hand and held it the entire trek up. The snow that fell on their heads was fluffy and left a light dusting of white on their shoulders and hair, making Qrow's look even more silvery gray. Clover almost didn't even notice the button, and he can always sew a new one on later.

They sat perched on a flat rock away from any trees watching the stars, no light pollution down there to block them out. Clover debated putting an arm around the other man when he sighed softly.

"I'm really sorry about tonight. I...shouldn't have come out."

Clover whipped his head to the side to look at him. "Huh? What, why are you apologizing?" An ugly surge of dread started crawling up his stomach. "Are you...did you not have a good time?" He winced at the pathetic tone of his own voice.

"No! No, that's not...I just...wish we could've had a _better_ time."

Clover furrowed his brows, taking in the sad expression on Qrow's face. "I had an amazing time with you."

Qrow snorted and rolled his eyes. "My semblance ---" 

"Was fine," Clover cut him off gently. "Nothing major happened. Seriously, Qrow..." He paused to take Qrow's hand and squeeze it. Qrow glanced up at him, and looking into those striking garnet eyes Clover couldn't keep the grin off his face. "This was probably the best date I've ever had. And that's partially because it was with _you_."

Qrow turned away quickly, though Clover could still see the blush dusting his cheeks. "Sap," he mumbled.

"I'm serious!" Clover chuckled. He bumped his shoulder into Qrow's until the man looked back at him with an exasperated, yet fond, smile.

"Well…I had a great time too, despite all the…" Qrow waved his other hand in a circle. "Hiccups," he eventually settled on.

"I hope you'll invite me again...if you wanted to, that is."

Qrow might as well have handed Clover the key to his own heart, because he just basically asked for a second date, which could potentially lead to _more_ dates, and Brothers, Clover is smitten with this man.

"I'd love that, Qrow," He said. After a moment he chuckled softly, finally looping his arm around Qrow and pulling him closer, beaming when Qrow leaned into him. "Must be my lucky day."

"Aaaand you ruined it."

"I did not!"

"You did."

Despite Qrow's words, he was smiling wide and snickering at the indignant pout on Clover's face. Clover rolled his eyes, not able to resist chuckling along with Qrow. He hoped he was lucky enough to do this more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apparently am incapable of staying below my 1k limit.
> 
> Also these aren't in any kind of chronically order, I just write them as I think of them.


	6. Your luck is about to run out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow knew it was pointless playing cards with Clover. He never won, and one can only have so much fun losing for hours on end. Even if it was to the friendliest, hottest guy in Atlas.
> 
> And yet he agreed every time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm just gonna give up trying to keep to a word cap cuz each chapter just gets longer and I'm too long-winded for brevity.  
> I wrote a different Qrow line yesterday but I just...hated it so much...so I started a different line today and this was the result. It's much better but also like, kind of risque at the end, so oops. Also I actually had to research how to play darts for this.
> 
> Qrow: Your luck is about to run out

Qrow knew it was pointless playing cards with Clover. He never won, and one can only have so much fun losing for hours on end. Even if it was to the friendliest, hottest guy in Atlas.

And yet he agreed every time.

And agreed to all the other games too, like pool, and memorization, and darts.

It’s bullshit he’s losing at _darts_. Qrow wasted many years in bars and other skeevy dive places, he had good aim and knew the tricks to the game. However, here he was, down to his last dart with no way to catch up because Clover got two bullseyes in a row.

Qrow wondered for not the first time if Clover was cheating.

“What’s wrong, birdie?” Clover called out from the bartop he was leaning against, a shit-eating grin overtaking his face. “Wondering how you can still win?”

Qrow huffed, flicking his wrist in time while turning to glare at the man. It didn’t matter how well he landed, losing was inevitable, though he was pleased to glance back and see the dart sunk into the outer ring of the bullseye. At least that closed the gap between their points by a nice chunk.

“Ooh, too bad, I won again.” Clover chuckled.

Qrow stuck his tongue out as he moved to collect the darts from their spots on the board, pulling at the one he threw that hit the wall instead with more force than necessary. “Yeah, yeah, I’m going first this time.”

Clover waved his arm in a gesture that said ‘go right ahead’. Qrow moved into place the minimum distance away from the dartboard, lifted an arm up to throw the first one, and then paused. A devious smirk tugged at his lips, and he turned to look over his shoulder. “How about we make this interesting?”

Clover quirked a brow at that. “Oh? More interesting than you losing all the time?”

“Shut it,” Qrow grumbled. He took a breath, letting the smirk fall back in place and continued, “Since you’re so confident you can win, why don’t you give me a leg up?” Clover made a small noise of confusion as his brows furrowed. “Let’s say...you wear a blindfold, and see if you can still win.”

They stared at each other for a few moments, Clover humming in thought and Qrow twirling a dart between his fingers.

“Ok, what do I get if I still win?”

“Pardon?”

Clover pushed away from the countertop and slowly approached Qrow. “What do I get? Besides bragging rights, of course, because I’m getting rather tired of those. If I have to jump through more hoops to win, I want a prize.”

Qrow tried not to shrink away under Clover’s intense gaze, bright teal eyes burning holes into him. “I didn’t think that far...what do you want?”

“Hmmm...what do I want…” Clover made a show of cocking a hip and cupping his chin in a hand, his other arm folded across his chest. He hummed, drawn out in faux thought. 

Qrow pinned him with a flat look. “You clearly know, just spit it out already.”

“I want…”

Pause.

More humming.

Qrow regretted this proposal.

“...To see the pictures of you in a skirt.”

Qrow’s eyes bulged. “How did you---”

“Yang mentioned it during training the other day,” Clover answered. He looked like he was barely holding back a laugh, shoulders shaking slightly from the force of it.

“I’m going to kill her…” Qrow grumbled under his breath. To be frank, he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect but it certainly wasn’t that. He heaved a sigh, running his fingers through his hair, then turned back to Clover with a forced smile. “Fine, if you can still win blindfolded, I’ll show you the pictures sometime.”

“No ‘sometime’, I want to see them tonight. Yang said she had a copy.”

Qrow cursed under his breath once more. “ _Fine_ , I’ll ask her to forward it to me. _Happy_?”

“Quite,” Clover chuckled.

Qrow found a clean linen napkin behind the bartop that was sufficiently long enough to wrap around Clover’s head and insisted on tying it off himself, pulling Clover down by the collar just a smidge so he could get the right angle. “To make sure you aren’t cheating.”

“You’ll never believe me that I’m playing fair, huh?”

“With your win record?” Qrow snorted, knotting the far too silky feeling cloth off. “Never.”

Clover merely shrugged, determining it useless to argue further. “You’ll have to guide me to the right spot to stand, though.”

“Fair enough.” Qrow nodded. He lifted his arm up and tossed the first dart. It hit the outer bullseye.

He tugged Clover by the wrist and rotated him until he was situated correctly facing the dartboard, placed a dart in his palm, and stepped back. Clover lifted his arm, inhaled, exhaled, then flicked his wrist forward.

It landed in the bullseye.

The following silence was all he needed to smirk and ask with a knowing tone, “Oh, did that land well?”

“Ok, you’re _definitely_ cheating.”

“You tied the blindfold, remember?”

“Shut it, move.” Qrow nudged him out of the way to toss his next dart. It landed in the outermost rings, barely landing in the target zone. Satisfied with his throw, he gently moved Clover back into position by the wrist, hands lingering on the man’s arms longer than necessary. He noticed the way Clover inhaled sharply and tensed slightly, but it faded just as quickly as it came.

Clover threw back another dart, this one landing in the innermost set of rings cutting through the middle of the circle. Qrow grunted in frustration, which elicited a low chuckle from Clover.

“Regretting your bet?”

“What I’m _regretting_ , shamrock,” Qrow shouldered the man out of the way again, just enough to fit next to him at the line. “Is playing any games with you.” He flicked his wrist again, and the dart sunk into the board in the outer bullseye on the opposite side of his first one.

Qrow smiled self-assuredly, then turned to look at Clover who was still blindfolded with a small smile on his face. An idea hit Qrow. It wasn’t particularly _nice_ , but it wasn’t _technically_ against the rules either.

As he wrapped his fingers around Clover’s wrist to reposition him one last time, Qrow moved in to stand behind him, pressing his chest flush against Clover’s strong back. He couldn’t hold back the devilish smirk on his face when he heard the soft confused hum, and rocked up onto his tiptoes to speak in a deep, rumbly voice against the shell of Clover’s ear. “I think...” He paused, relishing in the soft shudder he felt from the body in front of him, “Your luck is about to run out, Cloves.”

Qrow didn’t move away from Clover, and Clover didn’t push him off.

“That’s hardly fair...”

“I’m not doing anything,” Qrow crooned in a sugary-sweet tone. He let out a breathy laugh when he felt more than heard Clover’s breath hitch.

Clover grumbled, lifted his arm that Qrow was still holding the wrist of, and tossed the remaining dart.

It hit the wall.

“Ooh, too bad, I won,” Qrow laughed as he moved away, plucking the ends of the napkin to pull it free at the same time, watching as it fell off of Clover’s face.

And oh, what a face he was making, with the apples of his cheeks red, a childish pout, and narrowed teal eyes focused right on him. “And you think _I’m_ a cheater.”

Qrow shrugged exaggeratedly, pivoting on his heel to strut back to the bartop and grab his glass of water, tossing the rest of it back with a loud ‘ah’. Clover rolled his eyes and walked over to join him, sliding into the closest stool.

“Well, you had to win a game _eventually_. Too bad it took a handicap and playing dirty to do so,” Clover smirked, chuckling when he got a glare in return. “Real shame though, I was hoping to see you in a skirt.”

Qrow turned back to fiddle with his empty glass with a small smile. “Too bad, boy scout, maybe next time you can see the picture.”

“You see, I’ve been thinking about it more…” Clover trailed off, waiting until Qrow looked back at him with pinched brows.

“I _think_ …” Clover gave Qrow a deliberate once over, then glanced back up at his face with a sly smirk. “...that I’d prefer to see you in a skirt _in person_.”

Qrow coughed and whipped his head to the side, heat crawling up his cheeks.

Clover leaned in closer, tilting his head to look at Qrow’s face. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the picture is great, but nothing beats the real thing, y’know?”

Qrow kept his face turned to the side but blinked down at Clover, making eye contact for a second before retreating again.

“Well...I’m sure I still look great in a skirt,” Qrow smirked. “Though to win _that_ prize, you’d have to do much more than win a game of _darts_.”

“I think I’m up to the challenge.”

Qrow laughed, unbridled and a little giddy, and shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the Clover POV chapters have wholesome, cheesy flirting, and all the Qrow POV chapters are like borderline horny and I'm sorry.
> 
> Clover: Mayhaps adult Qrow in skirt is better than teen Qrow in skirt.  
> Me: You've incredibly correct you late 30s - early 40s yo man.
> 
> I think I'm going insane, someone tell me my writing sucks already.


	7. One more for luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How about you kiss me, then shoot, I restrain, and you kill?”
> 
> Qrow leveled him with a flat look. Clover grinned wider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent so long trying to finish a chapter. I also keep neglecting all my unfinished fgw stuff lol, everyday it taunts me.
> 
> Clover: One more for luck

Even a few years after Salem’s defeat there was still a large number of Grimm roaming around.

At least it kept Huntresses and Huntsmen employed.

Qrow and Clover had settled down in Patch for the time being so they could be near Qrow’s family, or that’s what Qrow would insist when asked about it. Clover suspected they might stay for a long time, and he couldn’t imagine anything better.

As long as he was by Qrow’s side, he would gladly go anywhere in Remnant.

They took on a large number of missions of clearing out Grimm nests, though it still allowed Clover a lot of downtime. It still felt strange not having a strict schedule to follow anymore after decades of one, but it was wonderful no longer having to deal with paperwork, reports, and debriefings. 

He even got to indulge in sleeping in some mornings, cuddled up against Qrow as the sun rose high in the sky.

Clover whistled some nameless tune as he twirled his horseshoe around his index finger and leaned against a tree, waiting for Qrow to come back from doing a perimeter check to see if they missed any Grimm. A small part of him hoped they did because he still had a lot of energy left. When he spotted a black bird swooping down past him he put the horseshoe away and kicked off the tree.

Qrow shifted back into human form seamlessly and turned to face him.

“Hey there, birdie, see anything good?”

“There’s an Ursa half a mile to the east, it looks fairly small so it must be young. Explains why it’s by itself.”

Clover gestured with a wave of his arm, “Lead the way.”

On foot it took about fifteen minutes to reach the landing the Ursa was stomping around. Clover scanned the area with a quick glance, noting there wasn’t much coverage they could use to ambush the Grimm. “Looks like a head on attack is the best bet.”

“I shoot, you restrain, then I kill?” Qrow shifted Harbinger until the gun barrel was up front and center, then looked to Clover.

Clover stared back at Qrow, smiling as the familiar warmth seeped into his chest. Qrow, with his slender face, pale complexion, feathery soft black-and-gray-streaked hair, and striking rusty-red eyes; Brothers, Clover would never get tired of looking at Qrow.

“How about you kiss me, then shoot, I restrain, and you kill?”

Qrow leveled him with a flat look. Clover grinned wider.

A few seconds later Qrow sighed and rolled his eyes, then leaned over to press a kiss to Clover’s cheek. “Happy?”

Clover reached a hand up to keep Qrow in place, tilting his head slightly and inclined closer, hovering less than an inch away. “One more for luck?” He spoke against Qrow’s lips, smiling at the way the other man’s breath hitched.

“You’re so annoying,” Qrow murmured, voice soft and laced with affection, as he kissed Clover fully on the lips this time.

As they pulled away just enough to gaze into each other’s eyes again, Qrow hoisted Harbinger up with a smirk. “Alright, lucky charm, it’s showtime.”

That Ursa never stood a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that? I actually managed to write a chapter that was less than 600 words AND I didn't hate it? Wild.  
> Also keeping up with the Clover chapters being wholesome theme. Not sure how flirty this is tho but it's established relationship which is just as good!


	8. You wish you were that lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re really falling for me, huh?” Clover waggled his eyebrows, his smirk from before growing enough to show off his perfect pearly whites.
> 
> Qrow decided at that moment he took back every bad thing he ever said about the luck puns and wished they would come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all can have two chapters in a row, as a treat.
> 
> Qrow: You wish you were that lucky

Clover _loved_ luck puns.

It was borderline insufferable. Qrow thought his eyes were going to sprain from rolling them so hard so often.

The man was always peppering "Lucky me", or "What good luck", or "How fortunate!", or whatever other play on words he could think of into conversation on and off the battlefield. It wasn't the worst thing; Qrow was used to endless puns thanks to Yang, but it did get old. 

Especially considering Qrow's semblance.

He knew Clover didn't mean harm by it, and he got a sense the man made these jokes himself to keep anyone else from doing it.

There's probably a story there. But he didn't feel they were close enough to ask.

Or maybe they were, after all the weeks of paired missions, shared meals in the canteen, card games in the back of transports, training hours, casual conversation, and Clover doing that incessant thing where he’s supportive and genuine and showers Qrow in earnest compliments and sincere, warm smiles.

Warm smiles accented with those captivating teal eyes softening around the edges.

Qrow screwed his eyes shut and shook his head. No, the _real_ issue was he wasn’t going to go digging into Clover’s potential insecurities (that he may just be projecting onto the man anyway) while out on _a Grimm raid_. Because that was stupid. And he’s stupid for even thinking of it at the moment.

“You alright there?”

Qrow blinked and turned towards the voice. Clover was pinning him with an expression that was equal parts amused and concerned, one brow arched and the corner of his mouth ticked upwards as his eyes searched Qrow’s face for any signs of what could be wrong.

“Fine,” Qrow croaked. He cleared his throat and nodded towards the small gathering of Grimm just beyond their coverage. “Let’s go,” and jumped out from behind their coverage before Clover could press the topic any further.

The Grimm really never stood a chance.

The four Sabyrs were taken care of with such ease Qrow almost pitied them. The way he and Clover moved around each other was so fluid it was as if they were dancing, Clover tying their legs up for Qrow to slice them clean through with Harbinger, them both always in the correct position for the other to get a hit in at just the right spot. 

It was exhilarating. 

Qrow hasn’t felt this way since his days with Team STRQ.

The accompanying rush of negative emotions and tightness in his chest at _that_ intrusive thought made him falter long enough he stumbled. Though before he could worry about falling onto the hard cold ground, a strong arm wrapped around him and caught him first. Qrow squawked, and upon seeing the smirk on Clover’s face get even more smug, he suddenly wished he fell onto the snow and slush underfoot instead.

“You sure you’re alright?”

“ _Yes,_ ” Qrow grumbled. Clover hummed, expression clear he didn’t believe him but wasn’t going to push it.

They stayed like that, Qrow tilted backwards slightly with Clover holding him up with a single arm, the other by his side holding Kingfisher. Qrow finally understood why the man didn’t wear sleeves even living in the damn tundra; he ran _hot_ , his arm pressing searing heat into Qrow’s back and arm through his clothes where they were connected. It was starting to get uncomfortable. Or maybe just the proximity was uncomfortable.

Right as Qrow opened his mouth to start complaining, Clover slowly lifted him back onto his feet, which brought him even closer to the other man. In his stupid panic, he moved back too quickly, causing him to slip. Again.

Clover’s arm shot out and wrapped around his shoulders again, and the bastard had the audacity to laugh. Qrow’s face started to burn; it sucked tripping over his own feet, but to be laughed at for it was the worst.

“You’re really falling for me, huh?” Clover waggled his eyebrows, his smirk growing enough to show off his perfect pearly whites.

Qrow decided at that moment he took back every bad thing he ever said about the luck puns and wished they would come back.

Qrow frowned deeply and furrowed his eyebrows, hoping it came off as intimidating and not like he was pouting. “I hate you, let go of me.”

Clover just laughed harder, a deep rumble from his chest that sent vibrations down his arm and up Qrow’s. With even less urgency than last time, Clover gently slid Qrow onto more solid ground and righted him up, his hand lingering for a moment longer than necessary.

“I’m not sure, you _did_ trip twice in a row. Feels like you want me nearby.”

Qrow glared harder, which only seemed to encourage Clover.

Qrow closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again fixed Clover his best smug expression. He reached a hand up, leaned in a few inches and patted Clover’s cheek whispering, “You _wish_ you were that lucky.”

Clover’s eyes widened a fraction.

And then he started to laugh. Loud peels of laughter tumbled from his mouth with so much force he threw his head back and grabbed his stomach.

Clover’s warm smiles were captivating, but his laughter was contagious. Soon Qrow found himself chuckling too, his hand that was on Clover’s face earlier now rubbing the back of his own neck.

Eventually, it died down, just the occasional snicker here and there.

"It seems I'm rubbing off on you. I _can't_ _believe_ you just said that!"

Qrow scoffed indignantly. Where did this pun bastard get off mocking Qrow for _one_ joke when he made them _all the time_? "Look who's talking, _Clover_ , you walking luck pun!"

"Yeah but, it's expected for _me_ to make such jokes. Coming from _you_?" Clover gestured at him with a big shit-eating grin on his face. "Not so much."

"Oh, so you have a monopoly on all jokes related to luck?"

"Yep, I got the paperwork back in my room. Want to see it later?" Clover winked.

Qrow barked a laugh at that, rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time since he met Clover and shoving his shoulder.

Clover loved luck puns. There may be a story behind it, and Qrow planned to ask later.

But for now, Qrow was starting to think maybe he liked them too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Immediately back on my "over 1k words" bullshit like two hours later.
> 
> I wrote most of this chapter for a different line, but it was just. Not good, it felt like a nothing sandwich chapter so I reused most of it and fleshed it out a bit more and got this instead. I'm still not sure, but I do like this far more than the other one I wrote.  
> Also this almost verbatium references [this shitpost](https://drbtinglecannon.tumblr.com/post/612117548145819648/clover-isnt-qrow-a-littleon-the-nose-qrow%E2%80%9D%20rel=) I made a month or so ago.


	9. As luck would have it (pt1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clover rushed over to the bed, the door falling shut behind him. "Qrow, are you ok, what happened?"
> 
> " _'m dyin'_ ," he whined with a hoarse voice, the words barely audible from where his face was smushed against the pillow and partially hidden under the covers.
> 
> Clover blinked once, twice, then bit his tongue to hold back a laugh. 
> 
> He took a second to compose himself by crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his weight onto one leg. "Preeetty sure you're just sick."
> 
> Qrow groaned again as he shuffled back underneath the mound of blankets. "No, dyin'. It'so cold...Atlas sucks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! An update! I kept reading over the list of phrases I found and that others suggested and none of them jumped out at me, until this one did, then all of a sudden two others did too. Hurray!
> 
> Clover: As luck would have it

There was a slight panic that morning.

Ruby and Yang were on edge the entire debriefing, and it was clear Qrow's absence was the reason why.

Qrow usually dropped in at meetings late, much to Ironwood and Winter's dismay, so Clover didn't think much on it until more than halfway through the man _still_ didn't show up. Each passing minute Clover could understand the girls' growing unease.

Winter didn't even finish dismissing everyone to their various tasks that day before both girls flanked Clover on either side, expressions twisted with worry.

"HaveyouheardfromUncleQrow??" Ruby's words were so rushed Clover barely caught what she said.

Yang's voice was more even as she cut in, "He hasn't answered any of our calls or texts. We're hoping he's at least contacted you."

Clover opened his mouth to say, 'no he hasn't', only for Winter to interrupt with a loud clearing of her throat. 

She waited until all three of them looked over, posture perfect and tone professional as she spoke, "He messaged General Ironwood this morning shortly before the debriefing, although it was complete gibberish..." The faintest twitch to her brow revealed her annoyance, however she carried on with the same professionalism. "He did have a solo mission last night, thus he might still be out at the moment. Unfortunately, you two do not have time to go looking for him as you're both on the first mission leaving today."

"But! ---"

"It's alright, Ruby," Clover placed his hand on her shoulder and offered her a reassuring smile. "I have a few hours until I need to leave, I'll go look for Qrow and let you two know when I find him."

Ruby's eyes started to get misty. Before Clover could react she threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tight enough to force the air out of his lungs. " _Thank you thank you_ ** _thank you_** _!_ _Please_ let us know as soon as possible!!"

Clover floundered for a full second, then gently patted her shoulders. "I will, promise."

She beamed up at him, and he couldn't help but smile back.

Yang bumped her fist against his arm to get his attention. "Thanks, we owe you." 

The small smile on her face fell as she added on, "And tell that bastard to call us the _second_ he gets the chance." 

Clover got the impression Yang was going to give Qrow the lecture of a lifetime when they got in contact.

...However, he couldn't say the man didn't deserve it.

The girls looked a little calmer by the time they ran off, though he knew they wouldn't be able to actually relax until Qrow was found.

\---

Clover figured the best place to start was Qrow's room. 

Maybe he came back already and passed out from exhaustion; that would explain his message and lack of attendance.

Clover knocked on the door and was met with silence.

He knocked again. 

More silence.

It was safe to assume Ruby and Yang had tried this already, and probably accompanied their knocking with shouting, but if Qrow really _was_ asleep he might've not heard them. Or if he got back to base after the meeting already started, he wasn't here when they first tried.

Clover also had passing knowledge of Qrow's old...issue, which probably fueled the girls' panic earlier, and if the man was (Brothers forbid) intoxicated, he _definitely_ wasn't going to hear or answer the door.

While it was rude to barge into his room without permission, Clover didn't really have the wherewithal to care. Luckily he's seen Qrow enter the keycode once or twice so he didn't have to break the door down or anything extreme like that; he didn't mean to memorize it but it certainly proved handy right about now.

He typed in the numbers, 1313, and once the lock clicked he slowly pushed the door open.

The room was pitch black save for the light pouring in from the hallway behind him.

Clover glanced around but didn't see anything. He worried Qrow was off base still, which would've made his search _infinitely_ more difficult, and was about to turn to leave when he heard some rustling.

With a furrowed brow he reached over and flicked on the light switch, instantly spotting the human-sized lump of blankets on the bed in the far corner.

"...Qrow?"

The mound of blankets moved slightly, a muffled groan sounding as a head of mussed black and grey hair poked out. There was more wiggling until pale skin, pinched black brows, and half-lidded vermillion eyes were visible too.

Well, Clover found Qrow. But he looked positively _miserable_.

Clover rushed over to the bed, the door falling shut behind him. "Qrow, are you ok, what happened?"

" _'_ _m dyin'_ ," he whined with a hoarse voice, the words barely audible from where his face was smushed against the pillow and partially hidden under the covers.

Clover blinked once, twice, then bit his tongue to hold back a laugh. 

He took a second to compose himself by crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his weight onto one leg. "Preeetty sure you're just sick."

Qrow groaned again as he shuffled back underneath the mound of blankets. "No, dyin'. It'so cold...Atlas sucks."

Clover fully laughed that time, and when Qrow poked his head out to glare he only laughed harder. It was funny really, how worried he, Ruby, and Yang got over Qrow's absence and fearing the worst happened, only to find him lying in bed sniffling from a cold.

Clover pulled his scroll out of his pocket to type a quick text to the girls informing them of Qrow's location and condition, and within seconds his scroll pinged with new messages. Ruby sent a number of texts in all caps expressing her gratitude and relief, each coming in after the other in rapid fire. Yang sounded a little more exasperated to learn Qrow had just been in his room the entire time, though relieved nonetheless.

After a few correspondences Clover promised to talk more later; they were on a mission anyway and didn't need any more distractions outside the good news.

Besides, right now Qrow looked like he could use some help.

Clover slipped his scroll back into his pocket and leaned down, gently tugging the blankets down until he could see Qrow's face again. His skin was sickly pale and covered in a sheen of sweat, making the bags under his eyes more prominent than usual. Clover touched the back of his hand against his forehead and frowned at how uncomfortably warm it felt.

"How long have you been feeling ill?"

"Since last night."

"What kind of symptoms do you have?"

"Death."

"Right, and that includes?"

"Feelin' like dyin'."

"...Did you take any medicine?"

"No..."

Clover pinned him with a flat look.

"...tastes bad..."

Qrow was apparently one of _those_ types when sick. Perfect.

Clover shook his head. He walked over to the adjoining bathroom, flicked on the light, and opened the mirror door of the medicine cabinet. 

Qrow hardly had personal belongings lying around, and seemed to just be using the standard military issued products in every room, such as the deodorant and toothpaste, instead of buying his own.

Which meant all that was in there for medicine was a small bottle of aspirin.

Qrow seemed to have a sore throat if the hoarseness of his voice was anything to go by, and definitely had a fever judging from how warm he felt and how he wasn't able to type a coherent message. Aspirin would help the fever and any soreness, but not the sore throat.

Clover planned to check the kitchenette next for any honey tea, and those would have to work for now until he could go find some proper cold medicine.

He grabbed the aspirin, filled the cup on the counter with cold water, and headed back to the bed. Taking one look at Qrow, Clover set both items on the bedside table, then gingerly lifted him up into a sitting position. 

Qrow grumbled the entire time but didn't fight it, which was a fine compromise in Clover's opinion.

"Here." Qrow eyed the orange tablets in his hand suspiciously. "It's just aspirin."

Qrow grunted, but accepted the tablets and popped them into his mouth. He washed them down with a swig of water then proceeded to chug the entire glass. Once finished, he coughed as he slumped back down onto his side and jerked the blankets up around his face again.

Clover took the glass to refill it in the sink. While in the bathroom, he grabbed a hand towel, stuck it under hot water, and wrung the excess moisture.

When he returned to the bed Clover sat on the edge next to Qrow and placed the refilled glass on the bedside table. He brushed Qrow's sweaty bangs away from his face to lay the towel on his forehead. 

Qrow hummed softly and his reddish-pink eyes fluttered shut as he craned his neck to lean into the touch.

Ok, that settled it. Clover _definitely_ wasn't leaving his side now.

He typed a quick message to Ironwood, then turned back to Qrow with a soft smile. He lightly scratched his scalp, chuckling under his breath when the man practically purred at the motion.

"As luck would have it..." Qrow blinked his eyes open and made eye contact when Clover started speaking. "I have the night off, so I can spend it nursing my favorite bird back to health."

There was a brief pause.

Followed by an exaggerated scoff.

"That ain't luck, you make the fuckin' schedules."

Clover burst into laughter.

Eventually, the noise tapered off to light snickering as Clover resumed running his fingers through Qrow's hair, watching the way the man shivered slightly as he leaned into the touch. 

"Semantics."

Qrow blinked his eyes open once more and fixed his gaze on Clover. His eyes were slightly unfocused and seemed to search Clover’s face for...something, though he wasn’t sure what.

They stared at each other for a moment until Qrow finally huffed and wiggled closer, or as close as he could while still under the mountain of blankets. "Whatever, I won't turn down a willin' nurse." Immediately after that jab, he coughed into his fist a couple of times, then dramatically flopped his head back onto the pillow with a pout. 

"Help…”

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

And Clover really did mean that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love sickfics ok, and I'll probably never stop loving them. In fact I enjoyed this so much I wrote a second part following Qrow's POV in this situation haha!
> 
> Also because I'm incapable of writing less than 1k I decided to just...stop caring about the word count for each chapter.


	10. Just my luck (pt2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow was pretty sure that was all a fever dream.
> 
> Yep, just a dream.
> 
> There was no way he _actually_ told Clover he was gorgeous and that he was into him. Nor that Clover reciprocated those feelings.
> 
> Absolutely not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the last chapter, told from Qrow's POV. This might actually be one of my fav chapters overall haha.
> 
> Qrow: Just my luck

Qrow felt like utter _shit._

The room was spinning, his head was throbbing, his throat was dry and sore, he was chilled to the bone yet couldn't stop sweating, and his entire body felt as heavy as lead. This was the last time he'd run some secret recon mission for Jimmy in the middle of the night in the fucking _tundra._

The only thing that didn't suck right now was Clover. This patient man was literally giving him head pats and medicine and water and company, just because he was a good friend.

Right. _Friend._

He and Clover were only friends.

That's it.

Life just wasn't fair. Qrow constantly got sick, or let down, or abandoned, and now the Gods were dangling the most perfect, yet unobtainable, man in front of him as another one of their cruel jokes.

"'s not fair..." Qrow grumbled. He cracked his eyes open, everything was a little fuzzy but he could still make out what was around.

Clover smiled down at him, amusement clear on his face.

"What, that you're sick?" Clover snorted.

The bright shade of his eyes was truly captivating; they beckoned to Qrow like a shiny object when he was in his corvid form. He had to close his eyes, or he'd never stop staring.

"That you're so gorgeous…" Qrow sighed.

The light scratching on his scalp came to an abrupt halt, much to Qrow's dismay and confusion. He made a soft noise in the back of his throat and asked, "Hey...why'dya stop?"

"O-oh, sorry..." Clover stammered. The scratching resumed, though it wasn't as good as before.

It felt distracted now.

Qrow couldn't be bothered to complain in any case; he was too busy falling asleep to the sensation. It felt nice, wonderful even, to be pampered and doted on.

When the scratching tapered off again, Qrow's eyes fluttered back open, and he gazed up at Clover. The man's face looked a little red. Was he getting sick too? Qrow would feel absolutely _horrible_ if Clover caught whatever he had.

He shimmied a hand free from the numerous blankets piled on his body and slowly lifted it up to cup the side of Clover's face.

Qrow felt Clover tense, so he murmured, "My hands aren't dirty...face is red, you feel ok?"

Clover blinked a couple of times. He seemed flustered. Maybe he _was_ getting sick.

"Y-yeah I'm fine," He nodded with a small smile. "Don't worry about me. It's uh, warm in here, that's all."

Clover's hand that wasn't currently threaded in Qrow's hair hovered in the air for a second, as if debating where to put it. Eventually he laid it on the hand Qrow had pressed to his face and gently pulled them both down to Qrow's chest.

Qrow gripped the hand as tight as he could, which probably didn't carry nearly as much strength as his gripe normally did, but he tried.

Qrow knew he should shut up and hold his tongue, but he didn't care to hold back. He's held back most of his life.

"'s just my luck, huh? Fallin' for someone as perfect as you," Qrow chuckled humorlessly.

Clover's bright, memorizing teal eyes widened as he stared down at Qrow.

"You're gorgeous, charm, really. Wish you would looka me the way I looka you…" Qrow yawned towards the end of his sentence, the words slurring together even more than usual, and grimaced at the stripping pain it left in his throat.

" _Ow_..."

"Here, drink some water."

Clover held Qrow's head up and brought the cup to his lips for him to drink. Brothers, it wasn't fair.

Once Qrow drank what was a sufficient amount in Clover's opinion he gently laid his head back down. He brushed Qrow's bangs back again, and Qrow absently thought how nice it'd be if Clover played with his hair everyday.

"You're silly, Qrow."

That wasn't exactly the response Qrow was hoping for. Who was he kidding though?

Someone like Clover would never look at a hot mess like himself with interest.

" _You're_ the one gorgeous one."

Qrow's eyes flew open.

"Huh?"

"Now get some rest, ok? I'll make you some soup for when you wake up."

Qrow didn't need to be told twice, and drifted off in an instant.

\---

Qrow was pretty sure that was all a fever dream.

Yep, just a dream.

There was no way he _actually_ told Clover he was gorgeous and that he was into him. Nor that Clover reciprocated those feelings.

Absolutely not.

His room smelled like chicken soup and he couldn't fathom why.

"Oh! You're finally awake."

Oh.

_Oh shit._

Clover hovered above him and placed his hand on Qrow's forehead. "Good, your fever seems to have broken. You're already looking a lot better."

Qrow gulped audibly. His face was starting to get uncomfortably warm again, not in the 'sick' way but in the 'horribly smitten' way.

"Come on, get out of bed and eat." Clover didn't wait for a response and pulled back the mountain of blankets in one go. "You should probably take a shower and brush your teeth too, they'll help, trust me."

Qrow laid there blinking owlishly up at Clover.

He wasn't _acting_ like some kind of confession was exchanged. That was a good sign.

"Oh, Yang wanted me to tell you to call. She's definitely planning to yell at you."

That, on the other hand, _wasn't_ a good sign.

Qrow groaned and flopped a hand over his face. He couldn't avoid them forever, but he was dealing with other shit at the moment. "Ok, after food and a shower though."

"Fair enough," Clover chuckled.

Qrow barely finished sitting up straight and swinging his legs out over the edge of the bed when Clover handed him a hot bowl. Thick trails of steam bellowed off the surface, warming Qrow's face as he leaned in to sniff the contents; definitely chicken, and it smelled _heavenly._

"You should eat." Clover sat next to him on the bed, a little closer than necessary, though it didn't bother Qrow. In fact he enjoyed having the man so close by.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Qrow murmured as he took a tentative spoonful. It tasted as wonderful as it smelled. He quickly started taking bigger bites, not realizing until now how hungry he was.

Qrow got about halfway through the soup before he noticed Clover watching him with a soft smile. It seemed practically affectionate.

"Uh..."

"Ah, so you _don't_ remember." The smile on Clover's face twisted into a smirk, however it didn't hold the right emotion behind it to be a smirk. It didn't look teasing, it looked...disappointed.

"Remember...what?"

Clover simply shook his head.

"No, tell me."

"I don't want to embarrass you...or myself..."

Qrow scoffed. Being loopy while sick hardly made the list of embarrassing shit he's done in his lifetime.

"What would embarrass me? I was sick, a little delirious from the fever, sure, but ---" Qrow stopped dead in his tracks.

There was no way.

One of Clover's brows arched.

No.

The smile on his face grew.

_No way. He didn't really ---_

"Oh, starting to come back to you?"

"I…"

Qrow was too stunned to even notice Clover reached his hand up to cup the side of his face, perfectly mimicking Qrow's own actions hours earlier.

" _Your face is red_."

Ok, _now_ he was sporting a full blown smirk.

Qrow's throat was drier than even when he was at the worst of his sickness. He tried to swallow but it didn't do anything to help.

"I..." He paused to lick his lips. "I told you you're gorgeous..."

"Yep."

"And that...you're perfect."

"Mhm."

"And...that I...fell for...you…"

Qrow wished the bed would collapse, causing a hole in the floor for him to tumble into and never leave again.

"You certainly did say all those things. Nearly gave me a heart attack today, Qrow." Clover laughed sweetly, like he didn't actually mind. "First you're missing all morning, sending your nieces and myself into a panic, then you look like death when I finally find you, and you confess to me right before passing out. It was an emotional day."

"Yeah, uh, sorry about that…"

Clover shook his head, then leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Qrow's temple. "Don't be, I'm happy I could help, and I was rewarded pretty handsomely if I do say so myself."

Qrow snorted and lightly shoved him. "Alright, alright. Sap. I'm gross right now anyway, you don't wanna kiss me."

"You're right, I'll save the kisses for after your shower."

Qrow stared down at the bowl of still steaming soup. He was fighting to keep a grin off his face, and losing. "...you think I'm gorgeous?"

"I do," Clover answered easily.

Qrow glanced up at Clover, and grinned. "Just my luck, huh?"

The two of them shared a laugh. Clover held Qrow's hand as he finished eating, and after he was freshly out of the shower and thrown straight into a shower of kisses, Qrow decided he could really get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love sick comfort fics y'all  
> Don't worry Qrow I also get really delirious and weird when I have a fever.


	11. You're lucky you're cute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Aww," Qrow cooed in a mocking tone as he glanced over his shoulder back at Clover, a cheeky grin overtaking his face. "You think I'm cute? Next you're gonna say you have a crush on me."
> 
> Clover pinned him with an unimpressed look.
> 
> "Qrow. We've been married for three years."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this is a phrase my dad uses on my mom and all of my siblings whenever we do/say something dumb, so this line is special to me cuz I've heard/said it all my life lmao.  
> Because of the nature I'm used to it, obviously this had to be a domestic chapter. Plus I'm so Absolutely weak for domestic fluff. Let fair game be happy, old, and married dammit!!!
> 
> Clover: You're lucky you're cute

Qrow had never been pampered much over the course of his life, which was an absolute travesty in Clover's opinion.

When they first started to get to know each other, learn stories and ticks and quirks and interests, Qrow would stiffen, move away, and dissolve into a fit of awkward nerves at any soft touches or words of affirmation. Clover can still remember the way his heart shattered the first time Qrow became so overwhelmed by all the affection that he cried deep shaking sobs.

He held Qrow tight the entire time, gently stroking his graying feather-soft hair and placing chaste kisses against his temple, and vowed to himself to shower that beautiful man with all the love and tenderness in the world until it finally reached him that he deserved it all.

It took a lot of time, reassurances, and patience until Qrow eventually relented and allowed the words and physical touches to happen without complaint or shying away. Over the years he had come to embrace them whenever Clover offered them, and returned the gestures in full.

He reached a point of such comfort he began to demand them, actually.

"Back rubs."

Clover glanced up from the book in his hands. Qrow was standing in front of him, motioning for Clover to move his arms so he could sit on his lap.

"What about them?" Clover asked, even though they both knew the answer. He repositioned so Qrow could sit, his back turned to Clover and leaned forward slightly.

"Gimme," Qrow answered.

Clover couldn't stop the following eye roll, "I gave you some this morning."

"Yeah. This morning. I want more now."

"I could rub your back for the rest of our lives and it still wouldn't be enough."

"Nooope," Qrow said, drawing the word out and making an exaggerated pop noise over the 'p'.

Clover failed to bite back a chuckle. He placed the book face down on the armrest to keep his page, then moved his hands up to Qrow's shoulders and worked his way in circles down along his spine, using the exact amount of pressure he knew Qrow craved.

Qrow groaned happily and leaned into the touch.

"You know," Clover started with that chiding tone Qrow often ignored. "If you kept up with your daily stretches and fixed your posture, your back wouldn't hurt so much."

"Shut up and use your knuckles," Qrow grumbled with no real heat behind it.

Clover shook his head.

"You're lucky you're cute."

The first time Qrow said that to Clover, it sounded a bit like a backhanded compliment. He genuinely wasn't sure if Qrow was trying to tell him he was being too obnoxious or was merely being playful.

Now that line was a rather common occurrence between them, tossed around with barely suppressed laughs and eye rolls. It was bratty yet fond, and referenced their semblances; really it was perfect for their relationship.

"Aww," Qrow cooed in a mocking tone as he glanced over his shoulder back at Clover, a cheeky grin overtaking his face. "You think I'm cute? Next you're gonna say you have a crush on me."

Clover pinned him with an unimpressed look.

"Qrow. We've been married for three years."

Qrow turned back with a click of his tongue. Even though he couldn't see his face any longer, Clover could tell he was still smirking. "I knew it, you do have a crush on me. You're not very subtle, Cloves."

 _What a brat_ , Clover thought as the corners of his lips tugged up.

"Alright, I think you had enough. Go away, I want to continue reading."

Qrow whined, "What? Noooo!"

Clover nudged Qrow off his lap and turned so he could lie down on the couch, preventing Qrow from immediately sitting back down. He looked back up when he finished situating, book in his hands again and his legs stretched out on the cushions and crossed at the ankle, and found Qrow glaring down at him with a petulant pout.

Clover winked, then turned back to the pages.

He got all of half a sentence in before he felt a weight crawl on him, pushing him down into the couch.

Clover glanced over the top of the book and locked eyes with Qrow. He was sitting on his lap facing him this time, then laid down as best as he could around Clover's book.

"Stop reading, I want attention," Qrow whined again.

Clover let him pluck the book from his hands and gingerly place it face down on the armrest now above his head once more. Qrow then wiggled closer until his face rested against Clover's neck and threaded his hands up under Clover's arms and held his shoulders.

"Oh? And what would you like to do?"

With each passing second they laid there in silence, the smirk on Clover's face grew.

Finally, Qrow mumbled, "...back rubs."

Clover laughed, loudly and freely. Tears collected at the corners of his eyes he laughed so hard. Qrow chuckled along, nuzzling his nose against Clover's neck.

He reached up and wrapped his arms around Qrow, squeezed him tight for a moment, then let his hands roam down his back, rubbing circles into the muscle with his thumbs.

"Anything for you, cutie."

Qrow made a pleased noise in the back of his throat and sighed, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They laid like that for a while, Clover methodically rubbing Qrow's back and shoulders until the man drifted off to sleep. Once Clover was certain he wasn't going to wake Qrow from his impromptu nap if he moved, he kissed Qrow's forehead then reached up to clumsily grab his forgotten book and resumed reading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had the opposite problem with this one than legit any other chapter where I struggled to make this longer instead of shorter.  
> Originally I was gonna have this line be a Qrow chapter but then I decided I wanted Clover to have it. And I projected a little here cuz I'm always demanding back scratches from my partner too, so this chapter is just extra personal lmao


	12. ...but I'm hoping to get lucky tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Did that line ever _actually_ work?" Clover eventually choked out between laughs, one brow arched incredulously and a large grin on his handsome face.
> 
> Qrow felt heat creep up his neck, but pushed onward. "What? Surprised I had such game?"
> 
> Clover hummed for a moment and looked back down at his hand. "No, I can't say I am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What would this series be without THE flirty luck based line?
> 
> Qrow: I woke up feeling pretty good, but I'm hoping to get lucky tonight.

"You should've seen Marrow's face, the poor kid," Clover chuckled as he shook his head. "It was kind of a disaster, so none of us have gone back to that restaurant since."

Qrow winced in sympathy. "Damn, that sounds awkward."

"Yeah, but it was also his fault for taking Harriet's dating advice. She isn't very, uh," Clover waved his free hand as he paused to think of the right word. "…romantic."

Qrow glanced up from the cards in his hand with a cocked brow. "Oh? You saying the only good lines are romantic?"

"Well, honest romance probably would've gotten him further than Harriet's crude suggestion," Clover shrugged.

"You mean you _don't_ have any 'crude' lines?"

Clover pointedly didn't look up from the cards in his hand, even as a smile grew on his face.

"Are you saying you _do_?"

Qrow licked his lips, absently wondering when they got so damn dry. "I got a few."

"Oh? Care to share? Perhaps your most successful one."

Qrow froze.

His most successful? To be frank, _all_ of his lines were...inappropriate at best.

And using any of them on Clover felt wrong.

He glanced up and they held eye contact for all of a second before Qrow retreated again.

Yeah, no, he couldn't. This was _Clover_.

Sure, the man was a flirt and a damned showoff, but he was also an absolute dorky sweetheart. Qrow didn't want to risk ruining everything with a bad line he used exclusively on hot strangers when he was bored and lonely (and drunk).

Clover deserved to be wooed way better than that.

Maybe the man had a point, albeit a boring one, about being romantic when making a move.

"Uh," Qrow cleared his throat. "I'm not so sure ---"

Clover interrupted him with an annoying click of his tongue. "Oh, so you _don't_ have any good crude lines, is that what you're saying?"

Qrow knew what he was doing.

And hated that it was working.

Although...the chance to see Clover's reaction was just too damn good to pass up. He did have that one luck line, that was certain to strike a cord with the pun-loving bastard.

"I woke up feeling pretty good today..." Qrow started. He had to get the timing and tone absolutely _perfect_.

He flicked his eyes up over the edge of his cards and found Clover looking at him expectantly. Excellent.

Qrow leaned a little closer and allowed an easy smirk to slide on his face while he narrowed his eyes slightly. He pitched his voice a little lower, that raspy deep tone that always got people's attention. Summer had dubbed it his "Get Some" voice; she wasn't wrong.

"...but I'm hoping to get _lucky_ tonight," Qrow winked.

Silence.

That...wasn't usually how this went.

Fuck.

Qrow needed to apologize, and fast. Backpedal out of this topic immediately and into something safer.

Right as Qrow was about to speak, Clover clapped a hand over his mouth and started laughing, the force of it causing him to double over.

Any knots in Qrow's stomach dissipated instantly, and he sighed as he watched Clover with a small smile.

Even though it was at his expense, he would never grow bored of the sound of the man's laughter. Clover could laugh at Qrow everyday for the rest of his life and he'd be grateful.

"Did that line ever _actually_ work?" Clover eventually choked out between laughs, one brow arched incredulously and a large grin on his handsome face.

Qrow felt heat creep up his neck, but pushed onward. "What? Surprised I had such game?"

Clover hummed for a moment and looked back down at his hand. "No, I can't say I am."

Ok, that was a response Qrow could work with. Not an outright rejection, and immediately followed by more teasing.

"Though to be honest..." Clover trailed off as he laid down his cards.

It was a winning hand, because of course.

"...That line would've worked on me, too."

...Did he hear that right?

"...huh?"

Qrow was pretty sure there was smoke pouring out of his ears, because his brain definitely short-circuited right then and there.

Clover placed his elbow against the makeshift table between them and rested his chin in his hand. A sly smirk formed on his face as he spoke, " _I said_ , that line would've worked on me, too."

Qrow blinked a couple times.

Oh.

"Though, not so much the line but the fact _you_ specifically said it. Especially in _that_ voice."

 _Oh_.

Clover moved to collect the forgotten cards, shuffling them with ease and an unnecessary card trick or two.

He seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking again. "In fact, I would bet money it's the voice that usually did it."

"Maybe," Qrow crossed his arms and shrugged. The heat crawling up his neck earlier had comfortably settled on his cheeks, yet he couldn't stop smirking. "Or maybe it's just a good line."

"No, it was definitely the voice," Clover chuckled.

"You sayin' I got a good voice then, shamrock?"

Clover paused, his hands stopping mid-shuffle. After a beat his eyes darted up to lock with Qrow's.

There was an unmistakable intensity in them.

Then all of a sudden the intensity was gone, and replaced with a genuine warmth and a warm, soft smile that reached his bright teal eyes. "You have a lot of good qualities, Qrow. I'd like to get to know more of them."

_Damn him. Really.  
_

_Giving me guff about the voice I used, then turning around and using that sweet, endearing tone himself._

"See?" Clover's warm smile shifted into a shit-eating grin. "That was a lot more effective, huh?"

"Shut _up_ , that did _not_ work."

"It did, admit it. Your entire face is red."

Qrow scoffed and grabbed his cards with more force than necessary. He even stuck his tongue out for good measure.

Qrow's heart pounded in his chest, and his face burned, telling him it was in fact red.

He tried as hard as he could to not be disappointed.

Qrow wasn't expecting that line to land him in Clover's bed, and he wasn't interested in that if it was going to be a one off thing like all those times with nameless strangers. Yet to have it so casually brushed off and then one-upped like it didn't matter was...difficult to swallow.

It was all meant as harmless fun, anyway. It wouldn't be fair to Clover if he got upset.

"So..."

Qrow hummed, signalling for the man to continue.

"Did you usually go to dinner with people you used that line on, or just straight to their beds?"

Qrow's head snapped up and his wide eyes met Clover's steady gaze. "Uh...what?"

"Because personally, I'd love to take you out on a date first, then maybe we could get _lucky_ after…"

Qrow's eyes widened even further. The apples of Clover's cheeks had a pink tinge to them, and the smile on his face erred on the side of nervous.

" _Are you asking me out??_ "

"Was that not obvious?" Clover chuckled as the pink tinge on his cheeks grew darker. "Yes, Qrow, after aggressively flirting with you for _weeks_ , I'm blatantly asking you out with one of _your own_ lines."

"Oh…"

Qrow could honestly say he wasn't expecting this turn of events when he innocently asked Clover why all of the Ace Ops started laughing at Marrow after Weiss mentioned some restaurant she wanted to go to.

Qrow was unable to tear his gaze away, eyes shifting between Clover's own. His throat was too dry to speak, which was a problem because he very much needed to respond, and soon.

"Uh...it's ok if you're not interested," Clover finally looked away, his brows creasing as he chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make things weird. We can pretend that didn't happen."

Qrow shot his hand out and grabbed Clover's wrist, causing the man to jump slightly. " _No!_ " Qrow blurted.

He cleared his throat and tried again in a more even tone. "I mean --- no, no, I. I would really like that. **_Not_** pretending that this didn't happen, dinner! I-I would really like, dinner…with you. A date."

The longer Qrow rambled the wider Clover's grin grew, until it was splitting his face. "Yeah? We could go tomorrow, say seven? That should be enough time after your supply run with Ruby and Nora."

Oh, right. Probably two of the worst people to be stuck with while dealing with pre-date jitters.

Fuck it, the kids could tease him to the broken moon and back for all Qrow cared right now.

"Sounds great. Seven."

Qrow's heart was about to burst out of his chest when Clover maneuvered their hands until their fingers laced together.

"You should know this is the first time that line ever got me a date."

Clover chuckled under his breath. "Yeah, what did it usually get you? A slap to the face?"

"Among other things," Qrow waggled his brows.

Clover laughed fully this time, and Qrow couldn't help joining in.

Clover leaned a little closer and winked, "Well, you never know what tomorrow brings."

"No, I guess not," Qrow smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have a preference between the HCs that Qrow flirted and had casual flings, or that Qrow never really engaged with others cuz of his semblance.  
> Regardless I imagine Qrow would initially be a little nervous about Clover's reaction to either scenario cuz he's had so much grief over the years. Which is ok Qrow, you do you, Clover supports you.

**Author's Note:**

> My plan is for each chapter to be under 1k (fingers crossed lol), and so far I have 16 lines including this one thought up. Idk if I'll write something for each one, but I do plan to do at least a few of them!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! [This is my Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/tinglecannon)


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